The present invention relates to an automated disk-ejection apparatus, for use in an information storage device such as a disk drive, and particularly, to a hard disk box. The automated disk-ejection apparatus provides a handle or panel, which can be auto-ejected such that a user can easily withdraw the disk box for loading or replacing the disk drive. Moreover, the automated disk-ejection may also comprise a status indicator to clearly indicate the operation status, in accordance with auto-ejection of the handle. The status indicator can remind the user to plug or unplug the disk box correctly, so as to avoid that the host computer coupled to the disk box becomes down due to fault actions. The functions of auto-ejection and auto-indication are particularly important in the applications of disk arrays. As a result, the present invention provides a quite useful and intelligent automated disk-ejection apparatus.
In this information era, a great deal of information is digitalized and processed by computers. Thus, there is a need for a recording medium of a large capacity, high processing speed and great stability, to store the digital information. The need is especially important for businesses dealing with the processing of numerous customers"" transaction data. For example, the banking, security, telecommunication, franchise or international enterprises are all required to store, access or backup information in a very efficient way. Based on the factors of speed, cost, stability and convenience of extension, there have been the design and development of the Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID).
The idea of RAID is to integrate a plurality of small and inexpensive disk drives into a whole disk array, and the performance of such a disk array must surpass a single, large disk drive that costs a lot more. The RAID has many features. For example, although disk arrays are formed by integrating a plurality of disk drives, form the viewpoint of a host computer system, disk arrays are just like a single memory storage unit. The disk arrays can easily backup data in a redundancy way of storage, and perform the fault-tolerant function. Moreover, while some disk drive units fail, the design of using a plurality of disk drive units enables the whole disk array system to be easily repaired by only replacing a failed disk drive. In contrast, the whole single, large disk drive needs to be checked and repaired once any defects happen.
For easy repair and replacement, a disk array system usually uses disk boxes to achieve a modular design. A disk box can accommodate a disk drive, and the disk drive is electrically connected to the disk array system through the disk box. In addition to convenience of loading and unloading, the advantages of the disk box include satisfactory protection of a sophisticated disk drive, especially a hard disk drive. However, a conventional design of a disk array system using a disk box, if the design supports hot plug (hot plug means that, while a disk unit is being loaded or repaired, the host computer using the disk array system can keep operating without being turned off), will add a lock to each of the disk boxes. The locks are used to avoid improper unplug of disk boxes, so as to prevent a working disk drive from being improperly disconnected. The host system is thus free from becoming down due to careless actions. Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional disk array system 50 comprises two disk boxes 51 for accommodating disk drives (not shown). As mentioned before, a huge disk array system may comprise as many as hundreds of disk boxes. The disk box 51 comprises a lock 52 for locking the box. Generally, the lock 52 can be implemented by a lock sliver, and a lock slit is also formed on the disk box 51 (not shown). The lock sliver can be snapped into the lock slit to lock each disk box.
While a disk box needs to be unplugged for loading or replacing a disk drive, an operator must get the key and insert the key to the lock to unlock the disk box. After loading or replacing the disk drive, the operator must push back the disk box and lock the disk drive. The inconvenience and problems encountered have been described above.
However, as the number of disk units increases in a great scale, the above design using locks will encounter many problems. For example, in a disk array system used by a phone company, there are as many as hundreds of disk units. In order to unload and replace a failed disk drive, it is quite possible to unplug the good disk drive because of difficulty in locating a target disk drive from the disk arrays. The result of a host system crash could be so critical that the service of the company is stopped and important information is lost. Certainly, considering the serious result of a system breakdown, the convenience of hot plug can be sacrificed without adopting the design of disk boxes and locks. However, such a design is so inconvenient and restricted that the design is almost unacceptable. Thus, how to overcome the above disadvantages of a disk array system is an object of the present invention.
An object of the present invention is to provide an automated disk-ejection apparatus for use in a disk system. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the disk system includes a disk box for housing a disk drive. The apparatus comprises: a handle for pulling out or pushing back the disk box; a pushing mechanism for pushing the handle; and a control circuit for controlling the mechanism. The apparatus is designed such that while the disk box needs to be pulled out for loading or replacing the disk drive, the mechanism is activated to push the handle. The handle can be rotated along a pivot into an inoperative state and subsequently be pulled for withdrawing the disk box. The featured disk system has the advantage of easy loading or unloading.
In addition, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the above object can also be achieved by using the mechanism to push a rotatable panel of the disk box.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a disk array system having an auto-ejection handle. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the disk array system comprises: a plurality of disk boxes for accommodating disk drives, each disk box including a handle for pulling or pushing the disk box; a plurality of pushing mechanisms for pushing the handles of the disk boxes; and a control circuit for controlling the pushing mechanisms, such that while at least one of the disk boxes needs to be pulled out in order for loading or replacing the disk drives, the corresponding pushing mechanism is activated. Because the pushing mechanism automatically pushes out the handle of the disk box to be unplugged, it will remind an operator to pull the handle and unplug the disk box. The disk array system has the advantage of easy operation. Because the handles of good disk drives will not be in an inoperative state (that is, the handles of good disk drives are not pushed out), it is avoided that an operator inadvertently unplugs a good disk drive.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a disk array system having an auto-ejection handle. In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the disk array system further comprises a plurality of status indicators located at side panels of each disk box for indicating operation status of corresponding disk boxes. Therefore, as a disk array system includes numerous disk drive units, together with the above-mentioned auto-ejection handle, it is much easier to identify a failed disk drive by the indication of status indicators. Inadvertent unplugging a good disk drive can thus be avoided.
Further another object of the present invention is to provide a convenient and safe automated disk-ejection. In accordance with the present invention, common end users without skill of engineering are also able to load or replace disk drives.